Tell Me the Truth!
by WakaWakaNevermore
Summary: Summer's over and a certain brunet is starting to become depressed. Riku's the top dog at his school, what will everyone think if they find out... [YAOI] [SoraXRiku]
1. Last Day of Summer

_Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts in any way. If I did then there would be a lot more scenes with Sora and Riku.  
_

* * *

Riku was always getting the girls, no matter what. He didn't even have to say anything and random girls would be swarming to know him. That's what Sora hated most of all; they never really _knew_ him. Even if Sora has been a friend of Riku since forever, would that mean Riku could possibly _like_ him, or even _return_ his feelings?

Sure, Riku and Sora were friends since they could remember, hell, they were best friends. No one could truly destroy their friendship, but it's not a person they would have to worry about.

One day on Destiny Islands, Sora was sparring against Tidus for the second time that day, when Riku landed up on the beach in his boat. For that split second Sora was off guard, a perfect chance for the blond boy. In one move Sora was hit, landing on his butt and getting sand all over his clothing. Everyone laughed as Sora pouted. Riku extended his hand towards the boy as his amusement started to fade away. "Better luck next time, right?" Riku asked as he hoisted up his friend. Sora placed his hand behind his head and replied, "Yeah."

Tidus leaned on Wakka's shoulder, as he usually does, and whined, "too bad summer vacation is almost over! Stupid school starts tomorrow and my mom wants to take me clothes shopping!" Kairi and Selphie started to giggle at Tidus' complaining. "What's so bad about shopping? You can get cool clothes and find awesome sales," Selphie insisted half-serious. The look on the blond's face was that of total horror. "You're a girl. Guys aren't suppose to like shopping, girls are!"

The battle of words continued for a long, long time. After a while the rest of the gang started to talk about fighting styles.

"So Kairi, do you wanna spar for a little?" a curious Riku asked. Kairi had never really fought a lot since she appeared on the island but she was open to try new things. Kairi lifted up an arm in spirit as she replied, "Ya! Don't cry when I beat you, Riku!" Riku gave a happy chuckle as he picked up a couple of wooden swords from the base of the Paopu tree.

Riku gave himself a small attack stance, everyday practice from every fight showing in the exact pose he chose to start with. Kairi held the stick with a beginner's skill as she gazed in front, toward her opponent−will of the warrior was still plastered on her face.

Kairi charged first, wooden blade pointing straight to get Riku in the stomach. Riku took his sword and defended himself with years of practice. In reaction, Kairi moved her blade in a strange way. Riku gave a quick counter to what could've been deadly. "I'm gonna win, Riku!" Kairi hummed as she kept up her attack. Riku was truly surprised at how good the girl was with little practice in her life.

While Riku kept up his defense, Sora was fantasizing about the teen fighting for his love. Every blow, to Sora, was Riku's undying love attacking every obstacle put in front of him.

As the silver-haired teen kept up against the girl, he decided it was time for the fight to end. The boy subtly knocked down Kairi, but what happened next was a complete accident. As Kairi landed, her skirt flew up, revealing more than what needed to be seen. Even with shorts underneath, the vision still got the guys a bit happy−all except Sora−as she blushed and tried to get up as fast as she could.

Riku walked over towards and extended his hand in respect. "Need a hand?" Kairi instinctively grabbed unto his palm and shifted her weight to make things easier. Sora felt the jealousy rise towards his cheeks. _Damn Kairi, getting all of Riku's attention. Even if she is my friend I still don't like how friendly he is towards her. _That's when Sora's hearted deepened into sorrow. Inside, the boy knew he would have to accept that his feelings for Riku are absurd; he should just give up.

Sora sighed once again to the dismay of the others. "Hey, Sora?" Wakka called out to the brunet. Sora barely had time to place a cheery innocence over his facade, but he managed. "Yeah, Wakka?" After about a minute of silence, Sora wondered if he was hearing things until the other boy continued, "some of us were worried about you, ya." Sora gave them all a cheery grin to show how normal he appeared. "I'm fine guys, don't worry." Wakka shook his head as he replied, "not like that. You've been acting strangely and we just wanted to make sure you were fine." Sora's eyes almost widened at the thought of all of them finding out his feelings. "I'm just having a bad week, things will be getting better, 'kay?" Wakka nodded almost shakily and returned near Tidus' side.

As soon as Sora felt safe, he relaxed his face and sighed. After that, a strong yet almost pale hand cupped over his mouth.

"Don't tell me you're not a little worried."

Sora almost froze when he felt the hand, but relaxed when he heard the voice. It was Riku.

With a little mischievous grin, Sora lightly licked Riku's hand that was still tightly covering the boy's mouth. What surprised the brunet most was that Riku didn't let go. Riku only tightened his grip, replying to the trick, "I'm not letting you do that easily!" Sora's eyes almost widened. Curiosity lingered in his mind to see how far Riku would let him go.

Sora started licking at Riku's palm as though it were an ice cream cone; no dice. Sora didn't want to have to do it, but it was forced upon him. He started to nibble on Riku's hand.

"That won't either So-"

Before Riku could finish, Sora bit Riku's tough hands as hard as he could. The sensation forced Riku to lift his grasp, rubbing his palm to dull the stinging sensation.

"Ow Sora! That hurt!" Riku said teasingly, making Sora pout at every word.

"Next time I'll bite harder!"

"I'd like to see you try."

Another fight was formed, both boys looking idiotic as they didn't exactly hit. More like bite and scratch each other.

Wakka, Selphie, Tidus, and Kairi just watched their friends having the strangest fight ever. Wakka was the first to say anything. He rubbed the back of his head with his hand as he reluctantly called out, "Hate to ruin the moment, but you might want to stop now, ya?" both boys looked at each other before looking away, red crawling towards their cheeks.

"Sorry Sora."

"Sorry Riku."

* * *

Sora sat in between Kairi and Riku on the Paopu Tree. Kairi was gazing at the beautiful sunset, the clouds had made the environment almost magical. Tidus had left earlier kicking and screaming as Selphie and Wakka made a deal that if they came they would pick out clothes with him, definitely better than nothing but still bad. Riku started to talk about school life.

"School's coming. Too bad our vacation didn't last just a little bit longer. Nervous about ninth grade?"

That's right! Sora almost forgot how it would be his first day in high school. The brunet didn't like the idea of leaving some of his friends in middle school, but if Riku was there, he would be fine.

"A little."

"Really? I was almost a nervous wreck. Then again, I didn't have you guys there to cheer me on."

Those words echoed in Sora's mind, making him feel special, that is, until Kairi spoke up.

"Riku, can I say you're my boyfriend?"

She seemed _very_ subtle. The brunet looked at her, staring invisible daggers at her until she would die and go to hell. No luck. If there was one thing the brunet was out of was luck.

"Don't be silly Kairi, you'll be good enough for all the boys to drool after."

Sora's mind shut down a bit, sad about how Riku said those words. He knew no matter what, Riku would eventually go out with Kairi and maybe even... marry her.

* * *

Sora arrived home, staring at the mess known as his room. He laid on the bed staring at the ceiling. His thoughts were clouded with ideas of Kairi and Riku together. The brunet turned to his side, blue eyes gazing at something Riku had made especially for him. He sighed.

"Welcome to your new school Sora."

He went off like a light.


	2. School Morning

The sunlight crept above the windowsill, exposing closed eyes to the brightness of the sun. With little interest of waking up in the morning, the boy grabbed the covers lingering over him and quickly pulled them over his head.

A women appearing to be in her thirties with long, wavy chestnut brown hair smiled as she slowly opened the door to her son's room. The mess alone made her smile falter. What made a small frown creep over her face was the kid still sleeping like a baby when he should already be dressed and downstairs for breakfast.

She tip-toed through the environment known as a room, avoiding the clothes carelessly thrown around, keeping her guard up in case a gorilla or monkey were to attack at the very minute. Anything could be living in the room, even a boy named Sora.

Though the mother would of left her son alone on any other day, it was a school day, and more importantly, it was the first day of school. With a mischievous grin and a small chuckle, she pulled the blanket with the speed of a cheetah and the power of a tiger.

"RISE AND SHINE!!!" The worst words to ever wake some one up.

Sora jumped from his bed, thinking he was under attack. Before he could gain knowledge of the situation, he fell on his back. And what did he fall on you ask? A toy car.

After he rubbed his back, he looked toward his enemy, or more like his own mother. Gaze widening, Sora grinned, giving a nervous chuckle at his embarrassment. "What's up, Mom?" His hand instinctively placed itself behind his own head, rubbing nervously. Did he forget something important? She placed her hands on her hips as she gave an annoyed sigh. This was not what she wanted to deal with right now. "You better get dressed and eat quick or you'll be late for school." Almost freezing in place at the words, Sora's face replaced the innocent grin with a full shocked expression. "Oh no! I'll be ready in a second!" What he lacked to notice was, his parent had already slipped down to the kitchen.

Sora pulled out an outfit, one which the group picked out for Sora a few days ago. It consisted of a black shirt with silver trim, faded blue jeans, black shoes with a few silver parts and trim, but most of all was his favorite piece of jewelry, his silver crown necklace. If Sora had to choose a hundred dollars or his necklace, he'd choose the bling.

As the guy ran down the stairs, he felt himself lose his balance. Almost like a ballet, Sora fell to the ground like a true dancer; flat on his face. True it hurt a lot, but the real reason why he ran into the bathroom at top speed was to check to see if the incident left a mark. He gazed at his reflection, looking for every detail with eyes like an eagle. His face was just fine.

Scents almost too good to be true spread through the air. The cinnamon reached to his nose first, making him almost drool enough to flood. The brunet recognized the smell as something familiar, though it seemed something was missing. The next thing reaching for his face was the fresh scent of apples. Now he knew exactly what his mom had made downstairs. The only thing strong enough to make Sora drool this much was his mother's famous apple pie.

Pie not be the wisest thing to eat for breakfast, but it would definitely taste the best.

Running at speeds unknown, Sora reached his favorite part of the house, the kitchen, to be surprised by a few guests already savoring the deliciousness of the desert; Wakka, Selphie, Tidus, Kairi, and of course, Riku.

"What are you guys doing here?" Asked a shocked Sora. Selphie grinned as she looked towards the silly boy. She wanted to say why but was interrupted by the muffled words of Tidus and his full mouth. "We're here to make sure you wouldn't be late." Sora blushed a small tint of pink in embarrassment. He was always thankful for having such caring friends. Even now Sora was happy about it. His friends were always around to make sure Sora wouldn't get in too much trouble, though he was able to do it anyway. The first time was when he was in second grade. Back then, some fifth grader was picking on him.

* * *

"Wow. How did you get your hair into such a mess? Do you even brush it?" was the insult sent to Sora.

All Sora was doing was catching Ladybugs, hoping to impress his friends. He even brought a big bucket, the kind you take to the beach when you make sand castles. It was just a few inches full with bugs when the bully showed up with his short black hair, faded gray jeans, black skull shirt, and red baseball cap. Oh! And he also had a bit of a belly.

Just as the guy was about to start another insult, Sora decided to talk back. He puffed out his chest, though no muscles could really be seen, straightened his legs out, and placed his arms straight down with full intent on intimidating his opponent. The brunet leaned in to further state, "Yes I brush it! You shouldn't be saying anything either, with your big belly!"

Not the smartest thing to say to someone twice your size, that's what Sora learned the hard way.

The big boy took a second to look at Sora with shock before the emotion replaced itself with anger. Sora didn't even know what happened as the mean kid punched him straight on the nose. Blood slowly leaking before speeding up. The young brunet felt a tear come to his eye as the bully shot back, "Is baby gonna cry now? Ha!" Sora started to feel the liquid gathering on his eyes, wanting to roll down his cheeks. He tried to rub away the sadness collecting on his oculars, but it didn't help at all. "Go home, baby! Cry to your mommy!"

The kid laughed at Sora's expense, not knowing what appeared behind him.

Selphie ran towards Sora's side, concern showing for him, upset at what happened. The bully wanted to say more, but Riku's strong kick to the back of his knees kept him from continuing. The black-haired child looked into orbs of bluish green, hatred growing from the calmness of the look.

Sora saw the caring gesture Riku performed, his heart skipping a few beats just thinking of it. The fact, Riku did something nice for him almost made him blush, but thankfully he didn't because Riku was looking straight at him now.

"You alright, Sora?"

"Y-yeah..." Aside from the bloody nose, he wasn't too hurt.

The bully rubbed the back of his head, trying to make the small bump go away with no luck. He was outnumbered. If the jerk were any smarter he would've walked off, but of course, he wasn't.

"Why the hell did you do that?! You're gonna be sor-"

Right in mid-sentence, Tidus smacked the boy in the head with his wooden sword, successfully making the bump grow bigger. The kid screamed out in pain. Though Tidus was in the same grade as Sora, he still had a bit more strength than him, but not as much as Riku. Plus, the blond had a pretty good aim.

Wakka, who was walking by with Tidus, started to snicker at the fifth grader for losing to a bunch of second graders and a third grader.

"Stop laughing at me!" The boy said, trying to get up. His first attempt, though, failed miserably as he fell right back down on his rump. This earned him a string of laughs from the others.

"If you wanna live, you better leave," said Tidus in between chuckles. The kid did what the sandy blond said, muttering the words, "I'll get you someday."

Selphie placed a hand over the brunet's forehead, checking if he had a fever. She never really knew what it was like to be hurt, so she didn't know what to expect. "You don't have a fever... so you'll still be able to go to school." Tidus gave her an annoyed expression as he said, "Of course he wouldn't have a fever! He was only hurt. You don't get sick when you get hurt." Yup. Another fight. "How do you know? You're not exactly an _expert_ when it comes to this kinda stuff."

The silver-haired boy walked in between them, trying to make them forget about their little quarrels.

"Can we please get Sora to the nurse?"

"Sure," said both kids in unison.

Riku extended his hand, reaching for Sora, saying, "Shall we go now?" The brunet grabbed his friends palm as he nodded his head. Sora felt better now than ever before holding Riku's hand. _This must be what love feels like,_ he thought as they walked towards their school.

* * *

Before the gang left for their school, Sora grabbed his black bag, slipped it over his shoulders, and took the last slice to stuff it into his maw. In only two bites he finished the pie piece. "Wow Sora. We should enter you in a food eating contest, ya." Said an amazed Wakka.

"I've tried to get into one, but I'm not old enough."

The whole group, except Sora, laughed. It's not like they didn't believe him, it's just, they thought he would be the perfect contestant. In fact, he might be too good for an eating contest.

"So Riku, what is it like at Neo High?"

Riku turned his face towards Selphie, watching her eyes gleam with thoughts of her new school.

"I bet it's shinier than Paopu Middle School! I bet it's way bigger too! And it's gotta have a lot of hot guys! Am I right?"

Riku nodded slowly, nervous of Selphie's over-active imagination. She'd probably go on forever if it weren't for the fact they were already in view of the school area.

Not too far ahead lied a school with black walls, shining in all its glory. Plastered in silver letters on top of the building's entrance was, 'Neo High School.' The school seemed huge, almost going on forever. The shining black walls laid upon smooth, yet dull gray cement. Riku sighed as Selphie gazed at in complete awe, though everyone had some amazed look placed on their features. Sora's look seemed blank though, even if his eyes were widening almost every second. Can you really blame him? The school must've had a lot of munny to afford all of the things they had, including the many flowers found flourishing on the sides of the school. It seemed almost illegal to have such a nice school and have it public.

Today was going to be a very _long_ day.

* * *

_Munny: The usual currency of the game. I'm trying to keep everything the same from the game, except for the keyblade part, though I may add it if I want to._


	3. First Insanity of the Day

_I've added/based characters off of some of my favorite anime. Guess right, and I'll do whatever you want (Not like that, pervs.) which means you can even effect the outcome of this story if you so very desire, but that's just your choice._

**_Disclaimer: This is fanfiction. If I owned Kingdom Hearts/the characters I used from 'certain' anime, then I wouldn't be a fan anymore, now would I? And yes, yaoi/gay love is in here, so don't you dare say a bad thing. I HAVE MY FREEDOM OF SPEECH!_**

* * *

Light gleamed off the cold black walls, giving the building a godly gleam. The place was like a dream school; hot guys, cute girls, great lunches; the place had it all! But why would a _public_ school have such great things? It's simple. Long ago, a very wealthy person had nothing better to waste some of their vast fortune on, so why not put it into making a grand school? Well, that's the old story any teacher would tell a student around here.

Sora looked around the glamorous place; it was all just so beautiful compared to his old middle school. Something about this building, though, seemed strangely eerie. Before the brunet could even finish his thoughts, a truly excited Selphie screamed out from her spot, "THIS PLACE IS PERFECT!!" A few strings of fan girl shrieks and she was out like a light. A few people looked from their groups to see something more important than a hyperactive girl.

"Oh my god! Is that you, Riku?!"

The words quickly vanished from the air as many students crowded the small group to see their hero, Riku. Tidus looked at the platinum blond, jealous of all the attention the other male was receiving.

Sora couldn't think a thing as other students squished the poor brunet tighter than a can of sardines. How strange for a second year student. What exactly did Riku have to make him SO popular? Even the blond had a limit to what his looks could do.

Riku started a soft laugh as a few students started to place their arms around the male freshmen following Riku, meaning: Tidus, Wakka, and of course Sora. Blue eyes shot open in shock, but only because he wasn't use to having random people invade his personal space; the only ones allowed were his best friends and his crush, Riku.

"How does your hair spike out like that?" A random girl said as she placed her palm on a few strands, while another yelled out, "RIKU! Your friends are so CUTE!!" This kind of attention was something Sora was unused to.

Waving the girls away with his all mighty Riku-ness (meaning he grabbed his friends and hid in the last place anyone would look), Riku said with a shaky voice, "Sorry for all the fanfare." A big pout from Sora proved that even Riku had to explain himself before things became dirty.

"Alright Sora, enough with the pout," The brunet let it fade, but not disappear. "The thing is, I'm great at a lot of sports. I'm on more than one team and more than one time I've made the winning move. Understand?" The platinum blond being a sports star was nothing new, though for this school it's probably a lot.

Seems like the rest of the group is gonna have to do a lot to make their own impression within school grounds.

* * *

Taking the rest of the morning to hide away where no one would find them, the gang, or more likely Selphie, started asking questions about classes or lunch or anything she could quickly ask before the first bell rang.

"Are there cute guys in class?"

"When they're not ditching."

"Are there hot guys in lunch?"

"...Usually."

Wakka just rested his elbow on Tidus' shoulder, looking like he was already in class with how his face seemed to just scream out bored-out-of-my-mind; even Kairi seemed a little more interest in how her hair looked than Selphie talking almost faster than a fangirl.

Before Sora was tempted to feel what it's like to have emo scars to escape to the nurses office, the first bell rung through the empty halls, bellowing loud enough to make the hyperactive girl scream out, "What was that?!" Some people nearby—if they weren't paying to much attention to their own conversation—stared at the girl as if she was a Martian visiting this world.

"It's time for first hour now. I don't have one, but you guys probably do. Lemme see." Quickly skimming over everyones' schedules, Riku pointed out who had the dreaded first period and whom was the lucky person spending a whole hour with the platinum blond. Whether it was sought as good or bad, the chosen people were Tidus, Wakka, and our lucky third contestant could be no one other than Sora.

The girls had a first hour class only because Kairi wanted to be smart and go into college with a few extra credits. Selphie wanted the same thing, sort of, except she wanted to be able to meet college boys when she passed high school. Since both of them had a slightly similar goal, they left the boys to have time for guy stuff.

A couple of hugs and a promise to meet up in the same spot for lunch, Selphie headed for Beginning Art while Kairi went to Drama.

"Now what?" Tidus had asked, watching a few students walk by to their class.

"Walk around, make some mischief, the usual."

Taking Riku's suggestion, they stood up and walked off into a random direction. Not exactly the best plan in the world, but it's better than sitting around in awkward silence.

Sora had made sure to stand near Wakka, which was the farthest side from Riku and the perfect way to keep from looking at him. It's not like he didn't want to look at Riku, but with everything the way it is, he couldn't bare the thought to stare so long at the platinum blond's attractive appearance. Way too much for such a hormonal teenager to take!

Though things started shaky, they all were easing up and started to talk more. Even Sora, who normally would be the last one to comment had picked up some very great topics. The hour slipped away from their grasp though as the bell had rung, meaning second hour and they must go.

"Meet you in P.E.! And save the best stuff for me, would ya Riku?" Tidus had called out, heading with Wakka over to Math. Hopefully they'd be sitting next to smart people because if they were forced to copy off each other, they might as well just leave the paper blank and they'd have a better score.

Riku had waved them off, saying a pretty simple, "Sure!" Placing his attention to Sora, he gave one of the most innocent Riku smiles that Sora had ever seen.

"See ya in lunch, okay?"

The brunet nodded and waved, heading over to his class as quick as he could. This building was all science classes on the first floor, yet Sora would have no idea which room was for him. 'Okay, just look at your schedule and you'll be fine!' He mentally supported himself, taking out the sheet of paper. Science with Ms. Subasa. That sounds... pleasant. He gave a sorrowful sigh and entered room 108.

It's not like he hated the name or anything, but he heard rumors from Riku that she is the most sinister teacher to ever be hired into the school

Inside, the desks were neatly arranged to face the white board while the lab stations were behind the rows. Most of the desks looked new, aside from the scratches students have marked into the surface; normal science stuff, though the walls were another matter. Posters of circus freaks and gymnasts were on every wall, including one supporting gay pride. The scarce amount of students whom first appeared looked to be higher in intelligence than the average Freshman, though Sora couldn't tell as they were huddled closely, possibly telling secrets of how Aliens were infiltrating the school in the form of Freshmen and transfer students.

With no sign of the teacher, the frightened brunet took to a seat close to the middle of the room―a safe haven compared to the back only because he could fully avoid being sneaked upon from just about any direction.

Everyone attending the class today seemed to have poured in just mere seconds before the bell rang, signaling to Sora to be more aware than ever; Ms. Subasa should be making her grand entry any moment now. The seconds ticked away on the clock before a minute passed. I bet everyone can imagine the horror on Sora's face as every second gone there's more of a chance to meet the face of utter destruction (to his grades, of course. I'm not cruel enough to have the science teacher be the bearer of total chaos for this story). A whole minute―a full sixty seconds―had past again and the instructor hadn't shown.

A loud noise came from just outside the fire escape door, or more accurately, a loud noise came FROM the door. Obviously something crashed into it, but that didn't stop the poor kid from screaming. He gulped and hid himself (I'd say more from the students looking at him like he was a nut more than from the teacher) as a woman who looked like she should still be in college stepped in. "I don't know you, but you all shall know me as Ms. Subasa from now on!" She cheered as she stood in front of the class.

Barely out of college, most likely, with hair dyed cherry red and a face that told everyone she'd rather be partying than working.

"Now, because just saying out your names and acting like some old hag who doesn't give rat's ass is very boring, I'm gonna say your names and you must say one thing you like the most. It'll go for class credit, so don't say something dull like dogs! Be creative!" To exaggerate her energy, she was practically spinning around with her arms going in every direction. "For example: Tori Subasa! I love to hang out with my gay friends 'cause they know how to _really_ have some fun!" A lot of guys in the class feigned gaging noises, but a lot of the girls were giggling in the class for their own reasons. All Sora did was rest his forehead on the desk with his eyes wide open in shock, possibly twitching like crazy. It's not everyday that you meet a teacher who had this much energy or enthusiasm.

"Samuel Adams? Just kidding! Sam Adams?" (Yeah, I just went there.)

"Yo! As my name shows, I love making and drinking beer." A few laughs, though more from the guys than the girls.

Sora hadn't heard much of what came afterwards as his mind tuned out the rest of the noise to think about what to say. He couldn't just be frank with everyone and said he was a little queer with a crush on the best athlete in this school. While his mind was racking up possible answers, an interruption in the form of a teacher suffering from ADHD.

"Sora Kotori?"

"Here," He said half-heartedly. "And I love sparring with my friends." Though the words weren't told with the normal confidence their owner normally shows, the feeling was still spread. "Sparring... Like fighting for fun?" The boy nodded, which made Subasa laugh. "Boys will be boys, as always!"

Sora mentally sighed, slouching in his seat after realizing he just dodged a very big bullet for the first day. Just when he thought he could finally relax, we was tapped on his right shoulder. Instinctively looking over, the boy next to him smiled and pointed to the person on Sora's left. To the brunet's surprise, it was like seeing a Doppleganger, except real. Before the teen had a chance to mentally freak out, the guy on the left whispered, "Chill; we're twins. It seems like you're having a bit of a bad day." Sora scoffed at the sentence. "More like a bad life." The twin on the right silently laughed, picking up where his reflection left off. "And what's so bad that you pretty much scream at every surprise?" The events that happened in this class are never going to let Sora have a normal school experience.

The teacher smacked their desks as she passed out syllabuses one by one. It was a silent way of telling them to shut up instead of gathering everyone's attention by yelling at them.

"Now, I know you all can read without me to hold your hands to describe all the details. If you really have a question that your own brain can't figure out by itself, then come in during lunch or after school to have that damn question answered."

Pressing a few buttons, the image on her computer screen showed up on the board.

"I'm going to show some 'educational' science from the show 'Brainiacs', so at least keep the chatter to a minimum. If I get complaints from the teachers and end up having some person watch how I teach, I could get fired, and trust me, this class would be too lame if that happened."

As soon as the video played, both devilish twins turned their attention to Sora. "So..." They said in unison. "Wanna hang out some time?" The one to the left smirked, adding in, "I'm sure you're life won't be so bad if we patch up some of the troubles." The brunet placed a finger to his bottom lip in contemplation, sorting out how this could be a good thing or a bad thing. 'I could use some one to talk to besides my best friends, and since they're not close to Riku, I could probably tell them more than I can tell Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, and especially Kairi.' With a smile, he replied to their offer. "Sounds like fun!" The two smirked, talking at the same time once again. "We should give you our number then so you can talk to us outside of school." Sora nodded as both of them handed him a piece of paper. The same number was written on them. With a smile, the teen gave both of them a paper with his number.

The rest of the time, they all were pretty quiet as explosions and more explosions appeared on the temporary screen. Even the more talkative people in the class enjoyed the 'experiments' involving half-naked women. Before anyone knew it, the bell for second hour rang.

The twins, whom Sora hadn't asked about their name yet, both stood and waited for him.

"Which class do you have now?" They asked together.

"English, room 209."

"Same with us. Why don't we all go together?" Their devious smiles never left as they stood on both sides of Sora. It's not like he could object, so he smiled and quickly said, "Sure!" The way they were standing so close to himself was uncomfortable, but the brunet wouldn't deny them since they were being so nice.

'Great choice of friends, Sora.'


	4. It Gets Worse

A/N: Yes, I know I haven't typed in a LONG time. Go ahead and kill me, 'cause I know how mad a person can get when they're waiting. If you enjoy my silly story, or you have advice, comment! Comments help me work faster! (No joke.)

Sora and his two new comrades were walking towards their English class, going over their schedules to find out exactly how many classes they would have with each other. Only the twin on his left, which he found out was Kaoru, would share. It was odd, but when he asked, all they would say was, "We have the same classes, that's why!" It didn't seem possible, yet they were proof that it was.

"Other than science and english," Hikaru started, "We also have one more class," Koaru picked up. Together, they stated, "Math."

'They could easily be in drama...' Sora mused. Seeing the color of auburn hair, the teen felt very hesitant. Kairi. As much as Kairi is a good friend, there was no way he wanted her to know about the two new guys. Inside his heart, he wanted to keep something to himself without sharing it with anyone. Something more than his crush with his best friend.

Stopping abrudtly wasn't a good idea. The two devil-types were dragging him for a second before noticing the weight of him.

"Hey," One said. "Let's get to class," Said the other.

In a feeble attempt to gain some time, Sora quickly spoke, "I forgot something in my locker! Go ahead and save me a seat, will you?" It was a lame excuse, Sora knew, since he didn't have a locker.

"Too bad."

"The only thing we're getting is papers."

"There's no need for books are anything."

"So let's go."

There was no way to go on with this losing fight. Sora went with both boys, slipping through the door and finding few students were there. Of course, Kairi was already seated and was waving for Sora to sit right next to her.

"Hey, is that your girlfriend?" Kaoru teased, earning a slight blush from Sora.

"N-no! She's one of my best friends!"

"Oh really? Sounds like she is your girlfriend," Replied Hikaru.

Sora gawked at both of them. If he weren't in the closet, he'd probably be laughing his ass off while telling them there's NO way on Earth he'd be able to be with Kairi. But, since he is, he only blushed more and stormed over to Kairi, plopping down into the seat in front of hers. She was about to ask why he was blushing when both Kaoru and Hikaru sat down next to them. Both boys were looking at Kairi, which led to a nervous tapping on Sora's shoulder to explain why the hell they were sitting with them.

Sora groaned a tidbit, turning in his chair to say in a practiced good tone, "They are Hikaru and Kaoru. Hikaru and Kaoru, meet Kairi."

"Hello," She replied shyly, reaching her hand out to shake their hands. They ignored her movement as they said in their trademark similarity, "Pleasure to meet you, Kairi."

Kairi started to giggle, finding their charm very interesting. She would have said something along the lines of, 'Isn't it hard to say the exact same thing at the same time?' yet, the appearance of Wakka dulled her curiousity.

Immediately, she waved him over and shared another odd greeting before the bell rang. This time, a woman who must have been in her late twenties or early thirties came in. Her blonde hair was cut short, but it just added to her sweet appearance.

"Hello class! My name is Ms. Stobart, and I'll be your English teacher this year!"

Locating the teacher's aide, she asked him quietly to pass around the papers.

"These papers are the rules and regulations in my class! It's okay to have fun, but make sure you don't go overboard! Over there-" She pointed to a jar, "-is my swear jar. Every time you say something bad, you have to put change into it. By the end of the year, I hope it'll be just as empty as it is now.

"Since you'll probably be sitting down and listening to rules all day, I'm gonna be different! Today, we're gonna all stand in a circle and say our name with an adjective in front of it that starts with the same letter as our name. An example: Silly Sally, or Confident Carl. Sound fun?"

The rest of the class was a class between cheers and boos, yet they all managed to move the desks back and gather round.

At first it started slow, but then everyone started being quick about their names. Then it started to warp down their little section of friends.

"Knowledgeable Kairi."

"Workable Wakka."

"Healthy Hikaru."

"Keen Kaoru."

Sora hadn't thought at all on what to say, considering he didn't have any idea what sort of word could describe himself. 'Just say something! You don't want people looking at you and thinking your slow!' He repeated in his head.

"Sensitive Sora."

He had heard a few giggles, but nothing to worry about. Certainly, they'd forget by the end of the week.

As soon as the game was over, they moved the desks back in place and started chating as the teacher's aide walked around, putting down people's names for the seating chart.

Sora mowed over in his head what the rest of his classes could be like. If he had to be in any more classes with the twins from hell, he'd have to try and get a schedule change. Hopefully, he'd have plenty of classes with his other friends--his best friends--and he'd be able to relax since Riku wouldn't have any with him since he's a Sophomore. Not that it would be bad if it was something where he could just sit and relax, but if it was P.E., he'd die; plainly and simply.

The brunet freaked out when he saw a hand waving in front of his face.

"Earth to Sora! I know your name means Sky, but you don't need to have your head in the clouds. Something wrong?"

He blinked, looking at a worried Wakka and Kairi, and sniggering Hikaru and Kaoru.

"I'm fine! Just tired from staying up too late last night..." Sora finished his sentence with a yawn, yet whether it seemed like he did, he actually didn't fake it.

"Maybe you should go to the nurse," Kairi said, still a little worried.

"I'll be fine! After lunch, things will go perfectly well! Promise!"

She nodded, still doubting him, yet feeling a bit better about the situation.

The bell rang, waking them from their conversations.

"See ya later guys!"

The brunet escaped the room, heading out of the hall and upstairs to the French room. This time, he was able to escape from the clutches of the twin devils.

As soon as he hit the French room, he was bombarded by Selphie.

"This place is so great!" She called out joyfully, squeezing the life out of Sora.

Since Selphie was more air-headed than the othes, Sora was able to sit down and faze out as the French teacher explained her rules. Every once in a while, he'd tune in and hear her speaking a few French phrases he thought he'd never learn. Selphie would poke Sora back to reality a lot to ask if he'd seen any hot guys. His mind went to the devils, and how they could occupy her entire notebook with their names. Yet, he wouldn't be mean enough to send her their way.

"Nah, just the average. Not like I know who's hot and who's not, right?"

Selphie bore daggers into his head, almost as though she knew he was lying. But, it soon faded away when she heard the sound of the bell ringing.

"Time to go! Say hi to the others for me, okay?" Selphie said, beaming as she left the room in search for people to bother.

'Where does she get her energy...?' Sora thought, gathering the papers and leaving for P.E. Just what he needed; room full of half-naked guys!

Without realizing his path, he bumped into some one. When he looked at the person, it seemed to be a girl his age. "Oh, sorry 'bout that!" He said, but she just seemed to freak out and scurry off.

"Hum... That's weird..."

Everyone for P.E. was to file into Gym class, which was better than what he initially thought.

After the late bell rang, he looked into the room. Catching the sight of silver hair scared him to death. Almost as though his thoughts were magnets, the person turned around and walked over to Sora. "C'mon in! You don't want to be late." Sora just did as he was told, too dumbstruck to fight.

"I thought you didn't have P.E.!" He was finally able to say.

"I don't have it this period. Since it's first day, we're in here to learn rules and sign up for our thing. Right now, I should have weight training."

Sora nodded, knowing what he was saying. 'At least I won't have to endure that...'

They went to their respectable corners, the students all going to the teachers that were on their schedules. As soon as he reached his P.E. teacher, he wanted to trade. She looked like a body builder, and that she'd murder her students for misbehaving.

He paid attention to the rules, yet drifted in and out through out the session. It was pleasant when he finally got into the guys locker room and picked out a locker. It was a bit farther away than it should have been from anyone else, but he'd hoped no one would notice. Before one of the guy teachers came to write down the numbers corresponding to the list of people, Sora noticed some guy choosing one next to his.

"Hey," He simply said.

Sora responded with a 'hi', wondering why the guy was so close. He was cute, but not much to mention. At least he wouldn't look like a loner with this guy nearby.

Once all of the work was done, the bell rang. Sora felt a tap on the shoulder, which led him to turn around.

"My name's David. I hope we can be friends!"

Sora smiled and nodded, replying, "Yeah, I hope so too. See ya tomorrow?"

"Mkay! See ya then."

Sora headed off to where his friends agreed to have lunch, hoping that the strange kid he just met didn't mean anything.

He was almost there when a pair of hands grabbed him. He was tempted to scream when he realized who they belonged to.

"Oh, hey guys."

"Hey, wanna join us?" One of them said.

"I can't. Gotta meet of with my other friends."

They exchanged a look before saying, "If you change your mind, you're more than welcome to sit here."

Sora blinked before nodding and heading of to his group. This school was strange, but as long as he kept connections with his friends, he'd be able to make it through all right.


	5. Unintentional Stab to the Heart

_Truly sorry for not updating for almost a year. Life happens. Least I have things planned out so I don't waste time deciding how things will turn out. With me, things will shake loose, but I'll still be able to hold strong._

_Enjoy._

* * *

Normally, Sora wouldn't have found his group of friends—yet the sounds of a playful argument coming from Tidus and Wakka brought Sora's attention faster than an explosion. He was about to round the corner when he heard Riku swearing like a sailor about something much more than lackluster cafeteria food.

"Stupid faggot actually asked _me_ out after weight training!"

"Really?" Came Selphie's almost distressed reply; more likely at the loss of a cute boy to add to her list than to Riku's mini dilemma.

"Yeah! It's pretty gross. I'm gonna have to change classes and everything! No way I'm having a fag watch me change out!"

Whatever else Riku was ranting about was lost to the brunet as he silently slipped away before running off in a direction away from his 'friends'. Hearing all those words crushed at Sora's heart. Secretly, he knew he probably had no chance with the older teen, yet he let himself feel the affection—all along, he thought Riku would at least gently push him away in the comfortingly kind way that he always affiliated him with. Knowing the platinum blond's thoughts about homosexuality only destroyed his misconceptions with no filter of kindness or pity.

Before long, he found himself back where he started, only with two identical people at his sides with commiserated looks on their faces.

"Hey," One started, as the other finished with, "What's wrong?"

Unbeknownst to Sora, his misery appeared on his face in the form of eyes shining from tears daring to form. Quickly—and thankfully carefully—he reconstructed his carefree facade, slowly making it seem like a problem much more simpler than what his heart held.

"I—I'm sorry. I... saw my girlfriend cheating on me with some other girl..." He said in a ticked off voice, tensing himself as though he would punch something for not seeing this folly earlier than that day.

In hindsight, this would be the funniest excuse Sora had thought up in a long time.

That did the trick. Kaoru sat back down at his seat, motioning for Sora to sit across from him. Hikaru shook his head in what could be thought of as disbelief before sitting down right next to his brother.

"Well now, that sucks!" Hikaru said in a callused tone.

Now that he was sitting down and able to hide his body language a little easier with fake rage, he gripped at the side of the table to put all his pain into the edge with all the strength he could manage. It wasn't pleasant, but it helped keep him focused and composed.

"It's her loss. Just forget about her, okay?" Kaoru added on, trying to smooth down Hikaru's abbrasive statement.

Sora nodded, letting his front fade away to the saddened mood within him. Kairi was still his friend. These two guys could be great friends if he could only tell the difference. Even though it was weird, he sensed with his heart which one was which, even though he was sure he hadn't called them by name yet. One was kind and caring, yet he would bitterly snap if some one mistook his identity for his brother. The other was tricky and cunning, unafraid to speak his mind when his heart was set. Surely, feeling that much was beyond **normal**. Then again, wanting to get into your best friend's pants wasn't entirely normal either when they're the same gender as you. For now, the brunet tried to focus on his new friends and the rest of the school day instead of what his heart was mourning over.

Something was in his ear. Dazed out of his reverie by an instrumental beginning to some rock music, Sora noticed the ear bud in his head that was connected to Kaoru's—he presumed, anyway—music. A trickster's smile replied to the unanswered question. If he understood right, the other teen noticed Sora's trouble and decided to distract him with music.

"Ever heard of these guys before?"

Sora shook his head. Now, he realized the exact words and instruments instead of automatically classifying the noise as rock. Although it wasn't his favorite kind of music, the feeling and beat really melded with his mood.

The time slipped by as the three talked about music, then the band members, then whatever tidbits were worth mentioning. It was neutral, yet it gave them all something to talk about. Hikaru and Kaoru seemed to always slip back into their habit of excluding others, yet Sora had no trouble bringing the conversation back to something they all could enjoy. It was enjoyable, but more importantly, it took Sora's attention way far away from Riku, which had been Kaoru's plan when he stuck the ear bud onto Sora.

As Hikaru and Sora argued heatedly over their favorite bands—more like insulting the other's favorite with things that were unimportant and blatant—the bell rang it's loud noise to bring everyone to their next prison cell for the hour.

"Their hit song still sucks!" Hikaru called out, exaggerating a growl as he placed the music player his brother was using into his pocket, deciding that today was the last day they would only bring one with them.

Sora laughed, slinging the bag over his back as he replied, "Least it's not a love song!"

Kaoru gently shoved Hikaru, hoping for his twin to calm down so they wouldn't be late to their next class. The shoved twin merely glanced at his brother before heading off to their next class.

"See ya later, Sora!" Kaoru called out, rushing after his brother.

Sora waved, deciding that they weren't so bad after all.

Once he arrived at his art class, he noticed Wakka sitting at one of the tables.

"Sora! Over here!" He waved over.

"Hey!"

"Why did you ditch us during lunch?"

Sora mentally cursed, realizing it would have been odd that he skipped out on his friends, no matter what the situation was.

"Well?"

"Oh, uh..." He had prepared no excuses. "Well... Thing is, these guys were talking to me, and there was no way for me to get away. It happens, some times."

Wakka gave him a look, more like a glare, which said, 'I can see right through you!' Instead of calling him on it, the guy just shrugged and replied, "Make sure you meet up with us when we walk home, ya?"

Sora nodded, feeling guilty. Just because Riku was prejudice, it didn't mean his other friends had to suffer for it.

Wakka smiled, one more genuine than the ones Sora had been giving lately, and said, "If Riku's being a little too hot-headed being tour guide for us, you can come to Tidus and me, ya?"

Again, another nod. This time, with a heart feeling a little lighter. He definitely needed that little affirmation of friendship, even if it sounded a little corny.

Sora and Wakka talked a lot behind the art teacher's back, leading to the conversation as to _why_ Wakka went for the art class. Turned out, it wasn't for the easy A, but for the myth that being skilled in the arts was a trait all the best fighters had.

"At least with the samurai's, ya? The best ones are also great at calligraphy."

He nodded, although he remembered that that rule mostly applied to the authentic kung fu movies. "You've been watching those Jet Li movies lately, haven't you?" Sora joked.

"Laugh now, but by the end of the year, I'll be beating you and Riku with **both** my hands tied behind my back!"

More papers occupied their backpacks as the bell rang for the last hour. Just one to go before the first day ended!

After Sora and Wakka left each other, Sora realized if it weren't for his other friends, he'd be a total wreck. Of course, he didn't have long to ponder this as the dynamic duo grabbed hold of Sora and dragged him to math. It was an Algebra class, with an old guy tidying up some papers and adjusting a laptop.

"Boring!" Both twins declared at once, choosing seats towards the back. The odd one out was pulled along into a desk in front of Kaoru.

More talking and learning that the teacher was much younger than his hair told lead to the last moments before the bell rang, when everyone was ready to jump out of their seats and leave right then and there.

"So, do you have plans later on?" Hikaru asked, sitting on one of the desks.

"Uh, today me and some of my friends were gonna chill at my house," Sora said, deciding not to add the, 'For only a few minutes before we head over to the island and spar'.

Kaoru smiled, asking, "How about this weekend, then?"

"Nothing then. Why?"

"Well," Kaoru started, giving Hikaru the rest of the sentence. "We're new in town, and we could use a better guide than the old folks our parents hang out with." The other picked up with, "So, think you could help with that?"

Right as Sora started, the bell rang, signaling them all to leave. Quickly, the teen said, "Sure! We'll talk about this more tomorrow, 'kay?"

Before the brunet could slip away, Hikaru asked, "Why not now?"

Without thinking, Sora replied, "If I'm late meeting my friends, they'll kill me, Hikaru!"

Automatically, Kaoru said, "Hey, I'm Hikaru!" It was a lie, no doubt. This age old test always snuffed out the people who didn't care from the people who did.

"Huh? But your voice is lighter, and your hair's parted different..." Right now, he was **glad** he noticed their voices early on—and more so for seeing the hair difference in the split second he took to look at both of them. "I do remember you saying your name's Kaoru the first time."

Both twins were amused by Sora's ability to pay attention, yet they dared not voice that to Sora. No, it would only give him a reason to watch for those little details when it came to their personal traits.

"So, I'll be seeing you guys!" Sora waved off, this time uninterrupted in his path to get to the area his gang had showed up to in the morning.

Practically running, he arrived just in the nick of time to an impatient Riku and excitedly talking Kairi and Selphie. Feeling a cold sweat coming up, Sora slowed down his pace considerably, taking his time instead of jogging up to them. Again, he would be questioned for his absence, but this time, he had his excuse strengthened up.

"Hey Sora, there you are! I was afraid you'd ditch us the rest of the day!" Riku called out, finally relaxing from the constant chatter about boys coming from the two others who both were now looking to Sora.

"Where would I go? You know all my hiding spots!" Sora replied, his mask firmly in place.

"So, getting some girls' numbers during lunch, right?"

"I wish. Almost did, though. Too bad, she was pretty cute," He lied through his teeth, sounding all the more believable.

Wakka appeared last, although only by a second since him and Tidus were racing. Sora wasn't afraid to stand in between Wakka and Kairi. Although Riku was next to Kairi, he was able to keep his eyes away easily unless spoken to. For now, he'd need to rework his facade so that he could finally grow away from Riku, and since it was technically the beginning of high school, he was confident that he could pull it off with no one the wiser.

It still didn't help that he was gay.


	6. Intentional Slam to the Chest

_A/N: This seems like a filler, yet it does help the story along. Remember kids, violence is wrong. Since I'm continuing, and updating more often, I'd appreciate if anyone would like to offer themselves up to be a beta. Not required, naturally, unless for some reason this chapter and the previous ones burn your grammar nazi eyes. Or you're just really nice and helpful. Ah well. Enjoy~_

* * *

Warm sand, even warmer sunshine, the clash of a sparring sword and blitzball—all the normal things for them on their little island.

Tidus and Wakka kept going at it, perfecting their moves and trying out new tricks that—to their hopes—would even beat the champion, Riku. Selphie sat at the sidelines, on the docks, laughing and cheering for no one in particular. Ah yes, this was a splendid thing to do after sitting in school all day!

The other three people—Sora, Riku, and Kairi of course—were next to the Paopu tree, talking.

"Wait until all the glamor goes away—then you'll see it as any ordinary school," Riku said.

"Don't say that! It just barely started!" Kairi replied, an exaggerated look of hurt on her face. Instantly, it broke off into a smile.

Sora had been quiet during the whole conversation, content on staring out into the deep blue sea. He couldn't shake the feeling of the idea of a whole undersea civilization. One that had no worries of romance and work, or hiding secrets. A place where everyone accepted each other. This little scenario drifted through his head, keeping his troubled mind calm.

Something warm was on his back, yet this wasn't an unpleasant feeling. Sora would have leaned into the touch until he heard a whispered voice say in his ear, "You'd have been dead meat if I had my sword on me." It was Riku. More importantly, instead of some vice-like grip, this was more of a brotherly hug. From behind.

"That's why my guard was down. I know you don't have one on you," He replied, focusing more on keeping his heartbeat steady than anything else. His voice he could easily mask, but from this vantage point, a frantic heart would give him away.

"Oh? Then I bet you weren't expecting this..." Before the brunet had time to tense up for the attack, hands moved from their position to tickle the boy to death. At this, Sora burst out instantly in giggles. Kairi started laughing at the scene, taking out her cell phone to record the two immature boys. At the sound, Selphie was the first to arrive, followed by a grinning Wakka and disheartened Tidus. It was obvious they wanted to finish their spat before joining their feminine friend into seeing what the ruckus was all about. First moment was a shocker, full of either embarrassment for such silly behavior, or shock that their eldest friend could be so immature. Either way, it broke down into chuckles and cheering Riku on.

This brought a deep blush to Sora—although normally he could keep such reactions from happening, trying to breathe through giggle fits made it hard to focus on anything else—so said boy had to get revenge fast. Grabbing onto the blond's arms, it slowed down the tickling enough for Sora to regain enough energy to push the taller boy away. Once this was accomplished, a deep breath and some shaky laughs escaped, along with a sigh.

"You have two seconds to run, Riku!"

"Thanks for the heads up," Riku replied, about to go in for the kill. That is, until some one interjected with their own thoughts.

"Maybe this round should be fought with swords, ya?" Obviously, this was Wakka.

That statement brought a smirk to Riku. "You know, you're right, Wakka. It's obvious who would win this 'fist fight'." Sarcasm lightly sprinkled the sentence as the teen stood and brushed the dust of his pants. Without a second thought, Riku brought out his palm to help Sora up. The brunet took the hand without spite, no matter his feelings. It would look bad if he refused the help from his _best friend_.

Retrieving twin sparring weapons, both teens held theirs in their stances, ready for the fight.

"Go!" Selphie called, referee this time.

Sora charged, ready to make the first hit. Riku jumped out of the way, using his momentum to swing the faux weapon at Sora. The brunet defended easily, catching Riku off guard. This lead to a body shot. On his back, Riku collected some strength before jumping back into action, getting Sora back in the process.

The battle repeated as such, with both contestants losing energy, but gaining will to win. This was a close one, with all the audience entranced. Riku wanted to keep his title as strongest, yet something inside kept him from fully using all his might. This, he deemed, was only from being awake a lot longer than usual to sit mostly all day inside a building. Sora, on the other hand, put all his anger into the swings; the very look in his eyes frozen over in pain.

Riku prepared to finish this fight off with a combo move. One, two, SLAM! Sora broke through with a vicious attack, pulling the blond out of his focus. This was enough for him to slip in and deal the final blow. It looked and definitely was painful!

On his back, Riku coughed, all the air in his lungs crashing out. Kairi and Selphie were at his side faster than light, looking over their fallen idol. Despite all his protests of being fine, both girls looked over where wood met flesh. Nothing broken, only bruising. Even Tidus and Wakka were a little worried, though they understood that such a move would have been worse had the weapon been stronger or heavier.

It took a few seconds of anger rushing out of his system before Sora realized his deeds. Instantly, the sword fell to the ground as he stared at his friend.

"Riku... I—I'm so sorry! I didn't—"

"I'm fine! Next time, try not to kill me, okay?"

Sora nodded, knowing his voice would have betrayed him. The girls helped their fallen comrade before Sora could, yet it didn't matter. This only proved how much harm he could put on him. On _all_ of them. As much as his head said to break away from them all, his heart screamed that this was only an accident—something that wouldn't happen again; his friends would forgive him. In the end, his heart always did win.

Back at the docks, after making sure the wound posed no threat for basic movements, they all prepared to leave to join their families for dinner.

"Since Sora hit you, he gets to make sure you get home. Sound fair?" Tidus asked, getting his little boat ready.

"If you all stop mothering me, yes," Riku called back, exasperated.

"Okay, okay, sheesh! See you in the morning!"

Kairi joined in with, "Just make sure to tell Sora's mom so that you can get some more of her awesome cooking!"

"Then my mom will kill me for hurting him!" Sora protested, holding back a groan.

"Free food or my friend's life... Which sounds better?" At that, the teen's jaw dropped to the floor, about to protest.

"We're kidding, Sora! Same time tomorrow?" Selphie interrupted.

"Yeah, same time..."

"We're off, then. We'll see ya!" Wakka said, taking off in his vessel.

Almost all of them were off towards the mainland, ready to scarf down their dinners and have a well deserved night of rest. Of course, Sora had to make sure Riku didn't kill himself getting back home.

Riku took things slower than usually, flinching at first. The brunet worried slightly, until he noticed the teen find a different approach to paddling his way to the shores. Once that was found, it was smooth sailing. With calm waters, there wasn't anything to worry about.

On land, after their boats were stored away, Riku waved Sora off.

"I can get home myself, no worries! If I don't tell, you know they will, so you better prepare your mom for that."

A little shaky at the prospect of hearing a lecture about horsing around and all the dangers involved, Sora was glad Riku brought up the point in his subtle way. Besides, he wouldn't have been able to handle walking with Riku, trying to act as though everything was perfectly fine. The battle was an excuse, but one that would have broken and uplifted the real issue before the end of the errand. So, this was a blessing.

* * *

Home, away from peer pressure and just plain society, Sora moped. Lying in his bed, on his stomach, with his face deep in pillow. If living under a rock was like this, he could handle it.

The smell of roasted chicken proved otherwise as his hunger heightened his sense of smell.

Down, down, way in the kitchen, Sora sat in his spot at the table. He didn't need his mom to tell him dinner was ready. For all his years, the woman always assumed Sora knew. After all, it was his favorite past time, other than play-fighting.

"So, how was school?" She asked in the stereotypical mom fashion, handing her son the wonderful meal he would consume like a vacuum.

"Papers. Lots of papers. I did meet some new people, and I think I made a few new friends," He replied, digging into the food to smother the pain.

"How wonderful! I'll sign those papers for you after dinner, Sora," She said as she served herself.

After a moment of silence, it was obvious something else was on his mind.

"Anything else happen?" She asked, hoping it was subtle. It wasn't. Sora could read his mother like a book, too.

"Riku and I were sparring, and I accidentally hurt him real bad..."

"Is he okay?"

"He's fine. Just a little sore."

"I'll make his favorite in the morning, then. You, on the other hand, you'll be the last one to get any."

Normally, he'd have staged a dramatic panic session, begging and pleading his mother for a chance to get some since his friends would purposely eat every morsel just to tease their friend. This time, however, he shrugged and continued a few bites before saying, "Only if I get Riku's servings, first."

Playfully, she slapped his arm, making Sora laugh.

"Okay, okay! Just make sure they leave **something** for me!"

"Deal." Her face softened, signaling that her next words would be more serious. "I wish you kids would play safer. You're not ten anymore. You're getting stronger. Next time—next time, it could be you who's hurt..."

Stab. Right in the heart. "Okay mom. Today, I was just mad. I'll make sure no one gets hurt—especially me."

Food gone, mostly in Sora's stomach, all that was left were papers and bed. She guaranteed the work would be finished and ready in the morning—once she read through to make sure Sora wouldn't be doing anything to risky. This brought up the conversation in their heads, yet neither said a word of it.

In bed, the day replayed in snippets in his head. Soon, sleep would overpower their image. Tearing up at the homophobic comments Riku had said, he still didn't understand why he still felt horrid for harming him.

_No matter what, I guess I'll still like him,_ were the last thoughts as Sora fell into the abyss of sleep.


End file.
